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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

A Customer Experience Carol

This is my favorite time of the year. Christmas is such a magical holiday filled with wonderful stories and memorable moments!

I love all of the holiday
classics (stories and movies), especially those that make us pause for a moment to reflect
not only on who we are but also on who we want to become. This holds true both for us
as individuals and for companies/brands.

Have you read or watched A Christmas Carol yet this holiday season? It's a classic written by Charles Dickens with the intent of bringing attention to the plight of the poor, while in the end also creating a wonderful celebration of both Christmas and the ultimate good of the human spirit. (Warning: I'm a hopeless romantic!)

In the story, we witness Ebeneezer Scrooge's transformation as a result of visits by three spirits who show him who he was, how he became who he is now, and who he has yet to become. No doubt a scary experience for anyone who might partake in such a ghostly journey!

Of course, you know that I'm not just writing to tell you about this story but about how it relates to the customer experience.

Have you taken such a journey for your business? What would you learn from each of these visits?

Ghost of Customers Past: Would he show you that: you've failed to focus on the employee experience? you've hired the wrong people? your company failed to be customer-centric and customer focused? your leadership is misguided? your customer experience was dreadful?

Ghost of Customers Present: Would you see a crumbling organization with high turnover, low employee engagement, dissatisfied customers, and executives who still don't get it?

Ghost of Customers Yet to Come (Future): Does your organization/brand end up suffering the same fate as Blockbuster, Kodak, Borders, or any of these other Ten Brands That Will Disappear in 2013?

Before it's too late, before another year begins, take that journey. Reflect on what has gone right and what has gone wrong with your customer experience this year and in the past. Begin with mapping the customer journey and taking a good, hard look at what happens at every step along the way. Believe me - if you haven't does this yet, it's an eye-opener!

Change your future now. Start putting a plan in place to change the course of your organization. It's no easy task, but taking a step in the right direction is where you must start. If you have skeptical leadership, have them read this post about Truly Human Leadership and watch Bob Chapman's TedX video. I think Bob could've turned around Scrooge's "Bah Humbug!" attitude in no time!

It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end. -Hemingway

About CX Journey Inc.

CX Journey Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in laying the groundwork required to establish a CX strategy that will drive your culture transformation efforts. Our beliefs are that (1) customer understanding along the customer experience journey is key to developing a strategy that allows both customers and businesses to achieve their desired outcomes, and (2) the employee experience cannot be an afterthought.

Why CX Journey™?

You know the quote, "Success is a journey, not a destination." Well, the customer experience is a journey, too. It's a never-ending journey. Once you've designed the best experience for customers today, their needs change, their expectations evolve, customers change, etc. You'll need to think about the experience today and listen for - and anticipate - what lies ahead. You must always strive to deliver that ultimate customer experience, not only at a single touchpoint but also - especially - along the entire journey. Have you taken the first step?

"Knowing where you're going is the first step to get there." -Ken Blanchard

"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." - Hemingway